Higher Powers
by RaB
Summary: A sweet Spike and Dawn moment at the Summer's house during the summer that Buffy is gone


Disclaimer: I don't own any of them-they belong to the great and powerfull joss; I also don't own any of the movies mentioned*  
  
**This is my first fic so, be gentle**  
  
Higher Powers  
  
Spike slowly opened the door and walked into the so familiar Summers home. He saw no one, and was about to call out when he saw Dawn with headphones on really loud and her back to him. Spike decided that he just couldn't resist. As quietly as he could, he put on his game face and walked up slowly behind the teen, grabbed her shoulders and let out a vicious growl.  
  
Dawn turned around and screamed, only to see Spike with his vamp face on holding his head.  
  
"Spike! You scared the crap out of me!"  
  
"OW! Sorry Bit, just trying to have a little fun…ow."  
  
"Well, that's what you get," Dawn told Spike, with a slight grin on her face.  
  
"Yeah, right," said Spike grimacing. He refused to believe he couldn't even sneak up on someone. He didn't mean to push her shoulders that hard. "Sodding chip!"  
  
Dawn giggled. Spike looked up at her and smiled. He was glad to see her happy again, even if it was at his own expense. Ever since Buffy dies, Dawn rarely smiled, nor did Spike for that matter. The only time he ever really was happy now was when he was pissed drunk(minus the hangover), or when he was spending time with Dawn. He was asked to babysit Dawn when the Scoobies had a meeting, or when Willow and Tara just wanted to go out for some "alone time" since they took custody of Dawn. Spike wasn't sure whether they asked him to watch her because they knew he was the strongest of the lot of them, or if they just wanted to exclude him. Spike would tell himself that it was because he was strong, but he really knew that wasn't true.  
  
"So," Dawn inquired, interrupting Spike's train of thought, "did you get them?"  
  
"Get what?" Asked Willow, walking into the living room.  
  
"Uh, movies. Let's see, Nibblet, they were out of There's Something About Mary, so, I got Meet the Parents and Interview with the Vampire ." To this, Spike just rolled his eyes.  
  
"What?" Asked Dawn, "I know none of it is true, and you'll probably be telling me every five minutes how inaccurate it is like when we rented Blade, but I'm in love with Brad Pitt. Damn Jennifer Anniston to hell!"  
  
"Yeah, fine, I'll try to bite my tongue but I almost threw up when I read it so…"  
  
"You read the book?" Asked Willow.  
  
"Oh yeah. When it first came out. Huh, you know, Louis kind of reminds me of Angel, bloody ponce."  
  
Willow and Dawn both laughed at this remark, fully understanding Spike's reference.  
  
"Okay, uh, Spike. I'll be back at around two so uh, you know the drill."  
  
"Right," said Spike.  
  
"What about Tara?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Uh, Tara and Anya will be doing some stuff at the Magic box so, she'll be home a bit later."  
  
"Whatever," said Dawn.  
  
"Okay, so, ah, got to go, Xander's her. Love ya Dawnie. See ya later Spike."  
  
And she was off. Willow walked out of the door, shortly thereafter followed by Tara. Dawn and Spike were once again alone in the house. Spike was not at all upset with the arrangement, he loved watching Dawn. But sometimes, he just had to wonder what the others were doing.  
  
"So, Little Bit, you want some popcorn?"  
  
"Okay, I'll put some in microwave. You start the movie."  
  
"Yes ma'am," said Spike sarcastically, a slick smile on his face, "maybe this time I'll be able to figure out how to work this strange twentieth century device…the VCR."  
  
"Oh my god, Spike. You are so lame." Dawn smiled and walked into the kitchen.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
It was almost one in the morning, and Dawn was supposed to be in bed. However, Spike never was able to resist that puppy dog face she put on when he tried to be strict with her; strangely, he found that this was quite the same as with Drusilla, so she was usually still up when Willow and Tara got home.  
  
Dawn sat leaning her head against Spike's shoulder on the couch. Spike actually found himself quite intrigued by this depiction of the Anne Rice classic. He smiled every time there was bloodshed and gore, he would never let Dawn see that though.  
  
Dawn slowly put her head down on his lap. At first, Spike was startled and flinched, but Dawn didn't notice. She always felt comfortable around him. She confided in him, and laughed with him when she felt like all she wanted to do was cry. To her, she felt as though he was the only one who hadn't abandoned her. First it was her father, then her mom and then Buffy. Now she felt like everyone else couldn't even stand to be with her and that was why they weren't always going out. Except Spike. He would give her hugs and words of comfort when she needed them, or just sit there in silence with her when she just couldn't be alone with herself.  
  
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Spike was the first one to see her after Buffy's body was found. Through his own tears and anguish, he saw Dawn standing on the stairs of the tower. He ran to her and seized her into a tight embrace. He whispered how sorry he was in her ear, but she didn't even notice until many days after the event.  
  
Spike looked to the east and saw that the sun was about to rise.  
  
"I have to go, love."  
  
"NO!" Dawn cried to him, "you can't leave me here."  
  
Giles, still in a state of shock, insisted that they should all get out of there and he picked up Buffy's limp and broken body. They all walked to the Magic Box, Dawn in Spikes arms. When they arrived, Giles called the coroners office and Buffy was gone.  
  
Spike took dawn into the bathroom and brought Dawn a towel. She had stopped crying by then, she was afraid to. Spike helped her take of the blood covered dress and wrapped her in the towel.  
  
"Well, they're not very deep, so, I'll just clean them up and get some bandages."  
  
"It's all my fault," Dawn whispered, "it should have been me."  
  
Spike grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.  
  
"Don't you ever say that! Things happen for a reason. There are greater powers at work here pet. Never let me hear you say that."  
  
At this, Dawn started to cry, harder than before. Spike's eyes filled with salty tears of his own. At the time, his thoughts weren't even on Buffy, he just couldn't stand to see Dawn like that.  
  
Spike held back his tears and decided then that he could never let Dawn see him cry. Who was going to be strong for her if he wasn't?  
  
Once she stopped crying for a while he cleaned up her wounds and bandaged them. He left for just a minute to try and find some clothes for her, but in that minute, Dawn realized how much Spike meant to her. She knew that he would always be there for her, and though she had lost so much, she knew that she would always have Spike.  
  
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So now, Dawn felt she could do or say anything around him. That he would never hate nor judge her, and that was enough to sustain her through her darkest time.  
  
Now she was laying on Spikes lap, her head firmly planted and strangely comfortable. Soon, she was fast asleep, and Spike looked at her and smiled. He knew she hadn't really slept well since the day, so he dare not move, and just let her lay there.  
  
It was about two-thirty when Willow walked in. She heard the TV quietly buzzing some show or another, but Willow was tired and could not tell which show. So she just walked into the living room to see the sweetest and yet most shocking sight of her life(and she had seen some shocking things!).  
  
Dawn had her head laying on Spike's lap, and Spike was stroking her hair gently. He had a slight smile on his face as he watched his fingers run through long brown tresses. Willow absolutely could not believe that this was the same man that had kidnapped and threatened to kill her just less than three years before. Willow just stood there watching for a few seconds before Spike noticed her presence. When he did, he carefully moved Dawn's head so as not to wake her and stood up.  
  
"Hey Red," Spike whispered as he walked over to Willow.  
  
"Hey. I how long has she been asleep?"  
  
"Ah, almost two hours," Spike told her with a smile.  
  
"Wow, that's like a record since…" Willow's voice trailed off. She knew it was still a sore subject for Spike, and he could not take comfort in the fact that the gang was working a way to resurrect Buffy.  
  
Spike just kept staring tenderly at the young girl.  
  
"God, I love her so much."  
  
"What?" Willows eyes filled with tears as she threw her arms around Spike's neck. Her tears began to flow as he awkwardly hugged her back.  
  
"Oh Spike! You really have changed."  
  
"Ah, yeah, Will…" Spike was a little embarrassed at the fact that he had let his emotions be heard. But he decided that he didn't care. He loved Dawn more than he his own life or death. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that she was the thing that he was living for. She was his life, and he had to always let her know that he cared, without, of course, giving up his big bad image. However, he figured that Dawn pretty much knew how he felt, without him having to say it.  
  
So Spike left the Summers home that night, happier than he had been in years. And he knew that his contentment would last him, until the next night at least. 


End file.
